How to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for SBI PO 2015

Many students appearing for the SBI PO exam have a common misconception about the Quantitative Aptitude section of the paper and perceive it as unsolvable. Although it is not something to be taken lightly, cracking it is certainly no insurmountable task. As is true for any other ‘challenging’ examination, the Quant section requires a fair amount of hard work coupled with a positive mindset- an inherent phobia is not going to aid the cause of cracking any exam! Irrespective of one’s academic background one can come out with flying colours in the exam by performing well in the Quantitative Aptitude section. Here we present you a detailed guide on how to prepare for Quantitative Aptitude for SBI PO 2015 and other exams.

The primary step is to start preparations well in advance. The old adage proves its mettle-“tomorrow never comes”. Quant along with Data Interpretation should be practiced seriously daily. Unlike the CAT exam, where one needs to go into the depths of Quant and Data Interpretation, the SBI PO exams do not demand as much delving. Simple and lucid books like the one by S. D Yadav(Quantitative Aptitude) help develop a clear understanding of the type of questions a candidate is likely to face. If you are from a background where chapters like Permutations and Combinations, Probability wasn’t taught, you will need to get up to speed with these. Getting help from a person well acquainted with these topics should be your priority.

A grave error committed by students is the sense of complacency they develop after completing a chapter. That, although seemingly harmless, is the cause of undoing of many prospective candidates. “Practice makes perfect” was not said for nothing, ergo, be sure to revise the chapters once you have completed them (at a later time, to jog your memory)!

Another thing that candidates should keep in mind is that there isn’t all the time in the world to complete the paper. In other words, speed is a necessity and a life-saving one at that! Faster calculation tricks can be learnt from the age old Vedic Mathematics techniques. Books and videos are freely available on the internet for a candidate’s use. Tricks like speedy calculations of cubes and cube roots, squares and square roots, as well as multiplications of large numbers are techniques that can come in extremely handy! Again, practice is key. No candidate should spend more than forty to forty five minutes on the Quant section of the main paper. This number is scaled down to twenty minutes in the prelim paper. 22-26 is expected to be considered a good score in the Quant section of the prelim paper.

Solving mock papers or papers from previous years will help in keeping the candidate sharp and aware of the needs of the examination. To hone the ability of quick-solving, prepare a chart with the rules and stick it in a place where you can see it once before hitting the bed and once after waking up. Quick calculation skills help greatly in Data Interpretation sums.

Coming to a trickier aspect of quants- Data Interpretation can prove to be the deciding factor in a candidate’s performance owing to the length and the conceptual clarity needed in solving such questions. Familiarity with concepts of tables, bar graphs, pie charts and other concepts like moving averages of various types, various indices in graphs, etc. go a long way in ensuring success in the examination.

Keep in mind the following while preparing your study plan:

SCORING CHAPTERS: Concentrate on these chapters first. These chapters make the most frequent appearances in the exam and are expected to count for a huge chunk of the marks.
1. Number Series
2. Percentages
3. Average
4. Ratio & Proportion
5. Simplification
6. Data Interpretation

TRICKY CHAPTERS: Spend a good amount of time on these chapters. The problems on these chapters can be tricky. Getting these questions right could mean the difference between selection and disqualification.
1. Simplification
2. Percentages (including Profit & Loss, Interest)
3. Ratio & Proportion (including Problems on Age, Partnerships)
4. Time & Work (including Pipes and Cisterns)
5. Data Interpretation

As general guidelines following are a few do’s and dont’s-

Always be sure to solve the easier questions first as they are sure to fetch you marks. Spending time on the more difficult ones initially makes no sense.

Data interpretation questions, that are relatively short, should be attempted first.

As has been previously mentioned, do not spend more than twenty minutes in the Quant section.

If you find the paper somewhat difficult despite your rigorous practice, don’t get unnerved. Difficult for one is difficult for all.

So use these simple Tips for Preparing Quant for SBI PO 2015 and increase your scores.